Biomarkers

Neuro-biologist Francesca Cicchetti is investigating the way damaged alpha-synuclein travels from cell to cell, spreading Parkinson’s disease. Her investigations are centred around tiny little bubbles, called microvesicles, that can extract themselves from cells.

Dr. Daryl Wile, a neurologist, will be exploring the use of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to develop an early diagnostic test in his year as a clinical movement disorders fellow. He’ll be searching for changes in the brain that occur even before people experience symptoms.

Causes

Mohan Babu is using genetic screening to map the mitochondrial proteins within cells that are associated with genes connected to Parkinson’s disease. By understanding the functions and the physical connections among these proteins, Babu hopes to identify potential targets for new drug therapies.

Using a type of gene therapy that delivers a virus to dopamine-producing neurons, Dr. Kalia hopes to eliminate the bad chaperone proteins and save the brain cells that are so critically involved in the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Kim, is investigating the relationship between LRRK2, a gene that when mutated causes familial forms of Parkinson’s disease, and a second gene called WAVE2 that regulates the brain’s immune response.

Dr. Ryan has identified a family of proteins he believes holds the key to keeping dopamine-producing cells in the brain alive, because of the proteins’ ability to help the energy-producing components of cells withstand stress.

Biochemist Omid Tavassoly is investigating cell-to-cell transmission of damaged forms of the protein alpha-synuclein. Spreading the damaged protein ultimately spreads Parkinson’s, so Tavassoly’s work could eventually lead to a drug therapy to slow or stop the disease.

Dr. Trempe is studying the structure and shape of PINK1, a protein that plays a critical role in familial Parkinson’s disease. Learning the shape of this protein could help develop a drug to repair the protein when it is damaged, to help it do its job of keeping brain cells healthy.

Dr. Volta studies the interaction between two genes and the proteins they express, to see if removing LRRK2, one of those proteins, can stop the spread of the other protein and halt the clumping together of that protein, which causes critical brain cells to die.

Cognitive Impairment

Leigh Christopher uses brain imaging to investigate clumps of proteins in brain cells. She hopes to find out why these protein clumps make some people with Parkinson’s more vulnerable to cognitive impairment and dementia than others.

Alexandru Hanganu is analyzing the structural changes in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease who have mild cognitive impairment. Using imaging technology and mathematical modelling, he hopes to feed the data into software that may become a diagnostic tool to predict cognitive problems and, potentially, dementia.

Dr. Ronald Postuma is investigating the relationship between people with Parkinson’s disease who also experience sudden drops in blood pressure, and those who later develop or already have mild cognitive impairment or dementia.

Jessica Trung is studying the use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to activate cells and circuits in the brain of people with Parkinson’s disease. She hopes this non-invasive procedure, will be able to restore some functioning for people who have mild cognitive impairment.

Complications

Balance and the brainDr. Mark Carpenter, University of British Columbia
Porridge for Parkinson’s (Toronto) Pilot Project Grant: $45,000

Dr. Carpenter is using imaging technology to scan the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease as they perform a balancing task, to discover what structures of the brain control balance and might be receptive to new treatments to restore balance and reduce falls.

Paul Cocker is seeking a compound to block the dopamine D4 receptors in brain cells hoping to open a new treatment avenue to prevent the compulsive behaviours experienced by some people who take dopamine-replacement drugs to control the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Camila Henriques de Aquino is learning to perform deep brain stimulation and is also helping to develop a new protocol for measuring the use of anti-dyskinesia medication using intravenous levodopa.

Neuroscientist Dr. Doyon is investigating whether having people listening to their favourite music while exercising will not only reduce their symptoms of Parkinson’s disease in a lasting way, it will also facilitate their ability to learn new types of movements.

Dr. Eric Dumont is studying an area of the brain called the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or BNST. Dumont believes the BNST gets too much dopamine from dopamine-replacement drugs and if the dopamine levels in this area of the brain are reduced, it may mean fewer involuntary movements.

Halting hallucinations
Dr. Philippe Huot, University of Montreal
New Investigator Award: $89,984 over two years

Dr. Philippe Huot is investigating the levels of a particular protein linked to visual hallucinations in the brains of people with Parkinson’s. He will test new medications that might enhance the function of this protein to hopefully prevent and reduce the hallucinations.

Physicist Alex MacKay is using Magnetic Resonance Imaging in a new way to measure the white matter within brains and assess its connection to the problems with thinking and reasoning that many people with Parkinson’s disease experience.

Quality of Life

Walking to a strong musical beat can often help people overcome freezing in place. Dr. Grahn is investigating whether people’s ability to perceive the beat in music improves the effectiveness of this therapy and to recommend ways to use music to lengthen strides and increase walking speed.

Dr. Grahn uses imaging technology to scan the brains of people with Parkinson’s as they listen to music and simulate walking, to determine what pathways in the brain connect movement and sound, to help people speed up walking and prevent freezing in place and falling.

Dr. McRae is investigating why people with Parkinson’s disease have trouble with conversation. If they determine that Parkinson’s damages the ability to predict the next word, a new speech/language technique could help therapists assist people with Parkinson’s.

Matthew Sacheli is investigating whether exercise triggers the release of dopamine in the brain by using imaging technology to determine the structures in the brain that exercise affects. His goal is more precise prescriptions for exercise for people living with Parkinson’s disease.

Kim Jameson is interviewing people with Parkinson’s about end-of-life care planning. She will develop a guide for health care professionals about engaging patients and caregivers about their values, wishes and beliefs surrounding medical interventions, pain management, and artificial nutrition and hydration, as well as other end-of-life care issues.

Neuroprotection

For people with Parkinson’s disease, the combination of consuming omega-3 fatty acids and getting regular exercise could actually restore levels of dopamine in the brain. That’s the theory Dr. Frédéric Calon is testing at Laval University.

Nadhir Litim is investigating the beneficial effects of using drug therapy to deliver estrogen directly to areas of the brain affected by Parkinson’s disease. He’s hoping to try to protect against the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells and protect healthy cells from damage.

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